Tag: Anthony Smith

Luke Rockhold recently went on Submission Radio and discussed his plans for 2019 and it involves a move to the light heavyweight division. He talked about his most recent fight booking and cancellation, a rematch with Chris Weidman, stating he had a small ACL and PCL tear, and he is still rehabbing his knee until it is 100%, then said he is coming for the 205 lb division.

He expressed that he is unimpressed with the UFC light heavyweight division and called fellow contenders Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith “middleweight washouts that are sloppy in so many ways”. When asked about Anthony Smith getting the next title shot at 205lbs, he said he didn’t look good in his last fight and claimed he looked like a ‘bum’. I think it’s safe to say Luke won’t be making any friends at light heavyweight as of yet.

Rockhold also mentioned he would like one or two fights before a title shot as he wants to be comfortable in the division. He stated the move is long overdue and he is tired of compromising his body to make 185lbs as it gets hard towards the end and makes his body shut down so a move to light heavyweight may be refreshing.

Opinion: All four of Luke’s losses are via knockout, I don’t think they hit any softer at light heavyweight. However, perhaps the division isn’t as stacked as middleweight and as Luke said, he won’t be killing his body. Time will tell if this was the right move.

Glover Teixera was all set to finally square off with Jimi Manuwa in a match up the British contender had been pursuing for years. Unfortunately for Manuwa, he now finds himself looking for a new dance partner for the UFC’s visit to Sao Paolo, Brazil next month.

Late last night, Ariel Helwani broke the news that Teixera was out of the UFC Sao Paolo main event as a result of an injury. Shortly after, Jim Edwards confirmed he had received reports of the veteran Brazilian picking up a shoulder injury which had forced him from the card.

With nine fights needing the judges to declare a winner, if you didn’t catch it live, you’d be forgiven for thinking that UFC Hamburg was a boring card.

You’d be forgiven, but honestly, you’d be wrong. Hamburg played host to some cracking contests, with a pair of relatively new faces staking their claim as top five contenders in the light heavyweight division and a number of promotional debutantes proving they belong in the big leagues.

Let’s take a look at what could be next for Nasrat Haqparast, Danny Roberts, Marcin Tybura, Abu Azaitar, Corey Anderson and Anthony Smith following their respective victories on the main card in Hamburg.

Former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans (19-7-1) is looking to put his middleweight woes behind him at UFC 225.

The former 205lb great will return to the division where he made his name after 4 consecutive losses and with only 2 wins in his last eight contests.

After losing two straight fights at 205lbs, Evans dropped to middleweight in an attempt to regain his form. That effort was ultimately in vain as the move only yielded back to back losses against Sam Alvey and Dan Kelly.

Last month, Evans was rumoured to have accepted a bout at UFC London against former middleweight champion Michael Bisping. That fight was unfortunately not to be. Evans now has a shot at redemption back in the division he called home for the majority of his career.

ESPN confirmed that the 38-year old will be facing Anthony Smith (28-13-0). Smith, coincidently is also moving up from middleweight after picking up a KO loss to Thiago Santos at UFC Belem last month. Prior to the loss to Santos, Smith had won three straight fights with wins over Elvis Mutapcic, Andrew Sanchez and Hector Lombard.